Success as a Spiritual Journey

Join us for a conversation about the spiritual journey of becoming an entrepreneur. 

Do you use spiritual principles for material goals?  Find out how to use your business as a spiritual process. 

1. Understand what you are working for, what is your purpose? 
2. How the Obstacles are the Way
3. Escaping ego and not making the business about you or your sense of self-worth.

Interact LIVE in the Private Creative Mind Coaching Facebook Group.

Enrolling now for our next Life Coach Training Certification Program. Developed by a Ph.D and Master Life Coach, this 6-month online course is based in Jungian psychology, philosophy, and Eastern spirituality. So visit creativemindcoach.com.  

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Transcript

Success as a Spiritual Journey

SPEAKERS

Debra Maldonado, Robert Maldonado

INTRO  00:00

Welcome to Creative Mind Soul Sessions with Debra Berndt Maldonado and Dr. Rob Maldonado, founders of Creative Mind. Explore personal growth with us through Jungian psychology, Eastern spirituality, and social neuroscience in a deep, but practical way. Let's begin. 

Debra Maldonado  00:24 

Hello, this is the next soul session. Today we thought, let's try a little YouTube Live and say hello to everyone. So what is the topic today, Rob?

Robert Maldonado  00:38

Well, we've been talking about your journey as an entrepreneur. So we thought it might be interesting to define a little bit better, what is real success? And how the way we define real success is a spiritual journey.

Debra Maldonado  00:56

Yeah. And I know a lot of people think that success is about achievement and material success, which is a part of it. But the real benefit of becoming an entrepreneur and— reaching your dreams, whether it's an entrepreneur, you have a goal and you want to reach is— it's a spiritual journey.

Robert Maldonado  01:18

Absolutely. And has to do with purpose, with how you work with the obstacles, and how you position yourself. Is it about the money, is it about the success, the fame, the prestige, whatever you're searching for. 

Debra Maldonado  01:38 

Feed your ego? 

Robert Maldonado  01:39 

Yes. Or can you use it to contribute to society, to give something back, to work at a whole other level that, really, I mean, there's so much need in the world now that we have to think in these bigger terms.

Debra Maldonado  01:58

Well, I remember when I first started my journey, and there's so many people that [say there’re — inaudible] spiritual— love spiritual work. And I think there's a lot of— and the secret had just come out when I first started. That was a long time ago. And it really was this idea that if you use spiritual principles you can get material results. And what we want to do is we want to turn that around. Because if you're using spiritual knowledge and higher principles just to get material results, you're actually putting the material as the goal versus the spiritual. So today we want to talk about— let's turn that around, let's make our material pursuits serve our spiritual goals. Our spiritual goals are the priority. The material pursuits are a way to get to the spiritual. So it's a path to enlightenment versus enlightenment is a path to success. And if you notice, there's a lot of stuff out there of — if you're spiritual enough, and you raise your vibration and, you know, evolve in a way, you can have all the success you want. And is that what the purposes of — to get stuff?

Robert Maldonado  03:17

Right? You know, we were watching some documentary on a rock star, that they had great success in the beginning, and then kind of fell out of the top 40 or top, you know, charts, whatever. And they had plenty of money. But they were so unhappy, because they didn't have that purpose, right? They didn't have that creative outlet. And so you see there very clearly, it's not the money. A lot of people think “Oh, once I get the money, I'll be happy. All my problems will be solved.” That is not really what's going on. It's about finding that purpose in your work.

Debra Maldonado  04:00

And a lot of people think too that success is a finish line, that there's this one place where you're successful or your persona is successful. But really, it's a journey, and there's no end and there's no finish line, and that we're always evolving, you can't take success and hold it in your hand. So what is it for you? I think the first thing to ask yourself is is it defined by monetary? Is it defined by what other people say? Is it a best-selling book? Is it a movie deal? Is it fame? What is success? Is it good reviews? Is it that you're invited to the fancy parties and people— celebrities call you up and want to work with you?

Robert Maldonado  04:45

Yes, yes. Yes to all of those. No.

Debra Maldonado  04:47

So defining what that is, I think, is really important. And, you know, I admit, when I first started doing my first, very first business, I was caught up in how do I fix myself so I can have success. How do I fix my internal spiritual knowledge and, you know, how to use these visualization principles and do a vision board and like, use the spiritual power to create money. And then after a while, the more successful I got, I realized that this isn't really— it's just, I'm just getting another job for myself, it doesn't have meaning to it.

Robert Maldonado  05:25

Yeah. So let's talk about purpose. Because a lot of people, you know, kind of ask “What is my purpose? And how do I find my purpose?" and all that good stuff. First of all, it's not a career, and it's not a certain line of business or a certain way of doing business. How would you define it? I mean, how did you find what that purpose was for you?

Debra Maldonado  05:59

My purpose to me is all the things I love to do that interest me, being able to express it. So these parts of myself that— I mean, ultimately, it's to know who I am, but— and through the work I've done, I revealed more and more of the talents I didn't know I had, because I'd become more free from my old conditioning. And I can actually “Oh, I didn't realize I was creative this way.” When I first started, I didn't even know that I was good at certain things. For example, one of the things I think I'm really good at, I've been doing it for 17 years, is visualization, coming up with visualizations off the top of my head, being creative with what I can lead people through in a journey visualizing. And I've created like a half a— 500, at least, it may be even more, personalized journeys for people. And I didn't know, like when I was going to be a hypnotherapist, when I first started out, that I even had that talent. So sometimes you don't even know when you step into it, these different talents that appear. And so I say the purpose is, the things you love and the things that come— that you're talented at, to be able to express them and bring them into the world.

Debra Maldonado  07:19

Everyone's unique. Everyone has their unique talents. And it's not doing it because “Oh people like it.” It's doing it. It's something deeper that— when I do visualizations, it's like something else steps in and guides my voice and takes over. It's not “Oh, I want to do this so people will like me, and I'll sell a lot by doing this visualization.”

Robert Maldonado  07:41

And so by that definition, you can do your purpose, or you can express your purpose in many different careers. So it's not the career itself that defines the purpose, but the expression of your talents, your full potential.

Debra Maldonado  07:58

And teaching people how to do it. Now not only do it but teaching people. And so it has a lot of assets to it. Writing — I've always wanted to write. Since I was a little kid, I had a typewriter, one of those old-fashioned typewriters, that mechanical, and I would type since I was nine years old, write stories. And so I feel like visualizations are my way of expressing these, you know, things in my mind and bringing them out. So it's all these little things. I love entertainment, I love being on stage, I've always loved to perform. But when I, before I stepped in as an entrepreneur, I was more shy. So all these parts of myself were unused and unlived. And I find that by stepping into my big purpose, which is become an entrepreneur and do something outside of what was conditioned to me, it brings out so much and I feel like that's your purpose, it really is to make the best of all of you, who you are and make a positive impact in the world. And through that expression. Yeah, and most importantly, inspire others to step into their purpose, because that's why we're here, where we're giving these gifts. It's like God gave us all these gifts. And we're not using them.

Robert Maldonado  09:11

It's a waste. As we take people through the individuation process, often they find that they want to express that purpose, right, their Dharma, as it says in the Gita. Often they feel that they've invested so much in their persona, in their shadow career in essence, the corporate position that is really comfortable for them, that they feel now that hesitation “Oh my god, you know, I want to do this. I want to be a conductor. I want to be a musician or a creative person. But I have this cushy job that I've invested so much in, how can I make that transition? You know, how can I let go that and do the things that I love?”

Debra Maldonado  10:08

And I think everything that you want to attain in life involves a sacrifice. And it's like, it's very ritualistic in the indigenous culture. You would sacrifice your younger self for your new self, you will let go the old identity, create the new identity. And so in that, for me, I was zero in debt, I had a brand new car, had a beautiful condo, beautiful mountain view, I had, you know, a nice— I could travel any time I wanted to, went out to dinner four or five times a week to, like, nice restaurants. And I never had to worry about really doing something really small, you know, bag lunch or anything like that. It was like— I was abundant. And when I chose to change careers, I did have to temporarily go in debt, I had to invest in things that I never had to pay for before when I was in the corporate world, I was in charge of my own income. So a lot of it is scary to make that shift. And I can tell you that it's worth the sacrifice. It's like you’re, I always hear this as like, sacrificing something of a lower nature to create something of a higher nature. And so for us, it's like maybe a short term, you might have to pull back a little bit, just to get your— and put the elbow grease in to make your dream come true. But it will give its fruits if you understand it's like a ritual, it's a “I'm giving up my weekend party night where my girlfriends are, these, you know, cushy jobs, so I can do something else." It's beautiful, it's a beautiful thing.

Robert Maldonado  11:48

Yeah, in the Gita, it says it's better to do your Dharma, even if you're doing it imperfectly than to do someone else’s, meaning working for others, I guess, and be very successful at it.

Debra Maldonado  12:02

And I think about my purpose in the corporate world, me having that job. My purpose was to get income. I really wasn’t— I mean, I was working for a yoga company. I was director of marketing. I mean, internet marketing is things I do now as a business owner. But it wasn't mine. And it was like I was just doing a very small piece, I didn't have a lot of, you know, there's managers and VPs above me, and, you know, a lot of different— I was just like a little cog in the wheel. And it was— you just wait for your weekends, and you wait for your two weeks vacation. And it wasn't really fulfilling. And I knew that I wanted to help people. It was just always there. And I waited such a long time, hesitated for so long. And I know a lot of people do. They hesitate. They think "It's not the right time, it’s not the right time.” I kept saying that. Yeah, until it— you're almost forced to do it if you can. But I think if I lived the rest of my life, and I never did this what I'm doing now, it would have been such a waste of an opportunity.

Robert Maldonado  13:14

Yeah, and I guess this spiritual knowledge helps you see it in that sense that you are sacrificing something of a lower nature for a higher nature, a higher way of being in the world.

Debra Maldonado  13:29

Yeah, yeah. 

INTERMISSION  13:34 

Are you looking for a satisfying career that has meaning and purpose? Are you seeking a path of growth, and wish you can have it all in one program? Well, our Jungian life coach program does just that. It gives you a new career as a certified life coach, as well as takes you through our Jungian methodology to help you become your true self, and make amazing transformation in your life and the lives of others. So visit jungianlifecoach.com, click on Apply and speak with me, Deborah, directly, so we can discuss your future and possibilities and becoming a certified life coach. That's jungianlifecoach.com 

Robert Maldonado  14:21

Yeah, so the second one is this “The obstacle is the way”, I think it’s from Marcus Aurelius, the Roman philosopher. So these obstacles that we have, these challenges of making those transitions, of putting yourself out there which is scary. I mean, I know from my own experience, it is the scariest thing in the world that you'll do. But again, it's definitely worth it because you're doing your own dharma. But these apparent obstacles, you know, whether it be, you think “I don't have the finances, I don't have the skills, I don't have the talent.”

Debra Maldonado  15:04

Or you put yourself out there and you fall on your face. And you get criticism or things don't work out as fast as you want them to. There's always obstacles, family members get sick.

Robert Maldonado  15:15

Yeah. How does that though become the way, how does that help you become a better entrepreneur?

Debra Maldonado  15:24

Well, I think that the obstacle is always representing an internal conflict with yourself and misunderstanding of what is happening. So when we're in fear, or when we're worried, we will see more obstacles out there, because in our mind we're kind of at war with ourselves. And so those challenges show up out there to reflect something in our mind. But I also think that we don’t— these obstacles also serve as— almost like a— I'm trying to think of the word— like an incubation for us as an entrepreneur. And this story is coming to me. And it's just an interesting story. I mean, there's so many I could bring up, but I'm going to throw my Jersey, New York Yankees thing in here. This story I heard about Derek Jeter, who's one of my favorite Yankees, those of you who know, Jeter, he's amazing baseball player and about, I don't know how many years ago it's now, he sprained his ankle. And he couldn't play and he was kind of put in, you know, the camp where you recover. And so he was off the field. And that's an obstacle, right? You were pulled out. And all he could do— he couldn't run, he couldn’t do anything— all he could do is focus on his batting. And so for those months that he couldn't play in the game, he was on sick leave, I guess they call it injury reserve, he really got to perfect his batting. And so when he went back to play, he actually gained a skill through that obstacle. So these things happen, there's something that— everything has value. So even if you're stuck, even if there's a big obstacle, there's always something valuable that you can get. Now he could have been like, poor me, but he used that time. And it's “How can I make this an opportunity?” And I think that's really what we want to do, it's an opportunity to understand ourselves. And it's an opportunity that maybe we need — like our deeper self is saying — “You need to stop here, you need to pause here, you need to be in this because there's something there for you.” And if we just keep, like, bulldozing through the world and think “I just want to bulldozer to the finish line, and forget about these obstacles, like, clear my blocks, you know, move my blocks out of the way.” I feel like that's actually clipping our wings, this is where we learn to fly. This is where we— it's in the struggle, it's in the conflicts that we grow and that we become a better person, we become a better leader, we become more ourselves.

Robert Maldonado  18:08

Yeah, it's almost like the pressure and the wine press principle, right? It's squeezing you in a way that is going to make you better. But you have to have that mindset of “what's the possibility”, right, instead of thinking “If I don't find success immediately that means the universe is against me” or “I got to give up and go back to my cushy job.”

Debra Maldonado  18:41

Yeah. And I did that many times. I went back from when I became a massage therapist, I quit my corporate job. I went to massage school for seven months, it was a year program and I quit after seven months, because I just really didn't like massage for me. It wasn't really for me, but I tried to stick with it as much as I could. I really liked learning about the body and the mind. But just touching and rubbing people wasn't really my thing. I wanted to do more psychology. But I went back to the corporate world again, and a lot of it too was financially— I got this really dangly cool position at this new.com and it seemed like fun.

Robert Maldonado  19:19

Yeah, but let's focus on the spiritual elements of this now. So the mindset of possibility, of openness, like you said, how does that translate into seeing these obstacles as growth principles for your spirituality?

Debra Maldonado  19:42

Well, I think the best obstacles are the ones that you feel like you can’t overcome. Jung says, Carl Jung says that the world that will create an impossible situation where there's no right answer, that it forces you to go inside. And so when you get those moments where I feel like I can't, you know, there's no way, you feel like all the doors are closing on you, if the doors are closing out there that means you need— there's some door in here that's closed, turn inward. Turn inward and really ask for support from your own self, your own spiritual knowledge. That's what the obstacle is really, those big ones that really— and then when you find the truth in here, you can deal with whatever it is out there. But you have to really, I think, stop dealing with these obstacles as external objects that are separate from you, that these obstacles are a part of you, they're a part of the process. And so that welcoming, like you said, to bring the wisdom into what is this here, this must be something like "I keep hitting this wall, there must be something here, there must be some opportunity here that will bring me to even more success” and always does, always. When we're in that impossible situation, I mean, I think right now, with the pandemic, it brought a lot of people to this “Oh, my God, what are we going to do? We can't go out”, you know, a lot of small businesses are struggling, especially brick and mortar, you know, because of the physical restrictions, restaurants, and so those of you who are in that kind of business, you have to ask yourself “Okay, it seems like an impossible situation”, you feel powerless. In those moments where you feel so powerless, that’s where it's a spiritual solution. You go inside, you ask yourself, “What's the opportunity here?” And even if you don't hear an answer right away, if you could just sit with “what is the opportunity here? What is the opportunity here?” And that's where creativity, innovation, people— I've seen so many cool things that restaurants have done with their designs to fix for the COVID. And so business is changing and conforming, and it brings freshness into it. So a lot of times when we're in a situation like this, it is an invitation to do something else. Like when a relationship falls apart or a business falls apart.

Robert Maldonado  22:23

Yeah, new opportunities.

Debra Maldonado  22:24

It’s a new opportunity, always something, it's like, the divine doesn't take anything away from you. It's always giving you more, the appearance feels as withdraw. But a lot of times it’s to get your attention to go in.

Robert Maldonado  22:40

Yeah, it's incredible. So many people I've talked to recently have told me that they benefited in so many ways from the current situation. Not wanting of course that it got so bad to where they had to make changes, but that it forced them to really consider — what’s important in my life? What am I doing, you know, what am I? What's my purpose, in the essence. And I heard a new term, it's a—

Debra Maldonado  23:11

COVID-preneur, is it?

Robert Maldonado  23:12

You always steal my line. 

Debra Maldonado  23:15 

No, sorry. 

Robert Maldonado  23:16 

Go ahead.

Debra Maldonado  23:16

COVID. No, what was it? Is it COVID-preneur?

Robert Maldonado  23:18

Yes, COVID-preneur. So you'd need to know your purpose, you need to understand that the obstacle is the way, you know, you proceed by approaching these challenges as a way to gain more understanding of who you are, and what your purpose is. And it's going to lead you to this spiritual way of being successful instead of just working for the bottom line.

Debra Maldonado  23:54

So what was your obstacle that you felt like you faced that helps you align with your purpose?

Robert Maldonado  24:03

I had this wife-partner that kept stealing my jokes. It was a terrible situation. No, no. There's so many I mean, but for me, like, most people that I talked to and that I work with, it's the fear of putting yourself out there.

Debra Maldonado  24:25

Oh, yeah.

Robert Maldonado  24:26

Yeah. It's that fear of what if I put myself out there, and people laugh at me, or I fall on my face, or I don't have anything to say, I don't have anything of value to say. It's an existential fear. I mean, it's just very deeply rooted in our being. Because if you think of the way we evolved, we evolved in small groups were being accepted by other people, by the group was literally a matter of life or death. If you were rejected, if you were ousted from the group, you would not survive. And so at the cellular level, we feel intense moral fear that we will be rejected, that we will be shunned, and it equals death in the mind, in the unconscious mind.

Debra Maldonado  25:28

And it's interesting, right? Because you're probably one of the wisest people I know, that has such important things to share, that you would have that hesitation, but you're not used to— you're not outgoing, like an extroverted person. So do you think that was a challenge for you to become extroverted? Because you're definitely extroverted now.

Robert Maldonado  25:54

Well, I think, you know, like Jung says, there are no pure extroverts or pure introverts, we all have a little bit of mixture of both. But having your purpose, clearly in my meaning, and the understanding that you're performing your Dharma, your sacred duty in doing what you love to do, and expressing that — it overrides then all that fear. It overrides it because this is more important than buying into that fear and hiding out, because that's the only other alternative — to hide out, right, to go back to your comfort zone. And so once—

Debra Maldonado  26:39

I think that purpose drives it. 

Robert Maldonado  26:41

That's right. And this is the true meaning of what we're talking about, that being an entrepreneur says spiritual journey, because it forces you to answer that question — what am I doing this for, is it just so that I can please my parents, I can impress my peers, I can gain the money that I think is going to make me feel safe and secure. If those are the answers, then it's better to stay in the corporate position or your regular job. Because that's the comfort zone. That's, you know—

Debra Maldonado  27:23

Some people prefer the comfort zone. And there's nothing wrong with that. If everyone became entrepreneurs, no one would work— be working for anyone else.

Robert Maldonado  27:31

I don't know. I don't agree. I think people should be entrepreneurs. I mean, that's an opinion.

Debra Maldonado  27:38

But not everyone does.

Robert Maldonado  27:41

Not everyone does.

Debra Maldonado  27:42

And it's very rare, like for someone to really step into doing what they love and give themselves permission. A lot of people say that when they do our coach training, like “Oh, you gave me permission to offer this and to charge this, and I needed someone else to tell me it's okay.”

Robert Maldonado 28:00

Yeah. It’s very rare. 

Debra Maldonado  28:02

It’s “Can I do this, you're qualified.”

Robert Maldonado  28:05

And then the statistics show that a lot of people that start up fail. And again, it's because of this, they're going in for the wrong purpose. Or for the wrong reason. Yeah, they're going in for the money. They're going in for the prestige, they're going in, like they say, so they can sit on the beach and drink pina colada.

Debra Maldonado  28:27

I know! That’s why I thought I just work for a year and have a best selling book and never have to worry about money again, and be on Oprah. We all want that magic pill. But I think that, you know, I've worked with a lot of people over the years that have had that magic pill happen, like celebrities and people that have had that overnight success. And then they're left with dealing with the repercussions of it because they haven't really lived into the person that has that success. So there's a disjointed, like “I'm still the old me and dealing with that”, that idea. So we definitely need to look at wherever we are, have patience in the process, and get the goal to be — spiritual growth brings business growth and not the business is, you know, the key. It's you want to grow first spiritually, and then the business will be an expression of that.

Robert Maldonado  29:34

Yeah, unfortunately, I see a lot of kind of New Age thinking that says, because you're financially successful, that indicates you're spiritually—

Debra Maldonado  29:46

Yes, I used to think that. I used to think that I wasn't spiritual enough or wise enough, where I would have been able to manifest faster, and it's like this spiritual pride that some people have that. Whoo, I manifested a million dollar and I wrote a check and it was so easy. And this idea that it is that easy. And you're celebrating the material versus the growth that came from it. I guess it's that old tale of the tortoise— the rabbit and the tortoise, how the tortoise was slow and steady, and won the race. So it's that idea that who you become in the journey of becoming an entrepreneur is the most important gift not what you attained. For me, I could look back at— we live in a beautiful place, I have a great relationship. Even though I do interrupt you sometimes.

Robert Maldonado  30:39

You steal my lines.

Debra Maldonado  30:40

I steal your lines, I still your punch line. Sorry. I actually didn't think he remembered that's why I put it in but this idea that you know, how many fans you have, having a book, and for me, it’s— I look back at who I was in the corporate world, this scared, insecure, not sure if I can make it on my own, woman to become independent, to have a vision of something and create something. I look back at — wow, like that's who have I become. And that really the riches is that it's who you become carries into the next phase of your life. What you do with it?

Robert Maldonado  31:22

Yeah. So let's get to this third and final point. It's not about you. It's about your service. What you're creating, your dharma. Well, and what we mean by it's not about you is it's not your ego, right? If your ego is involved in it, that's not real success. You're just defending yourself, you know, you're just acting out of fear and defensiveness. And you're using the money, the success just to kind of wall yourself in and say “This is going to protect me, this is going to create like a barrier between me, I and the world.” And that's not success. It's simply more ego.

Debra Maldonado  32:15

I think that when, especially when we work with coaches, and we train coaches, so we're always dealing with that service-spaced kind of entrepreneurs. And when you make it about the person, when you're doing videos, when you're expressing yourself, and you're thinking of how can I help this person versus how do I look good — everything changes. Whether you're doing a sales consultation, whether you're doing a video, you know, watch YouTube videos, watch how many people say “Hey, guys, how’re you guys?” Like they're talking to a bunch of people. How many people talk to one person? How many people make that about that person? That one person is watching a video at once. You're talking to that one person, I'm talking to you, not “Hey, guys, hey, everyone”, you know, that kind of idea? I think people especially now, I think a lot of these Instagram stars, it's all about them. It's all about how many likes they get and being the influencer and getting all the attention. And it's not really about the person. Maybe not in all cases. But that is going to lead to narcissistic kind of tendencies. That inflated ego that is going to — is probably always wondering, you know, when is that fame going to subside? And what if someone else is more popular than me? And then it's really just competition.

Robert Maldonado  33:47

Yeah, and it gets that idea that your self-worth is tied to this external success. Yeah, fame or the money. And you're saying “I'll be worth it when I get this certain amount of money or a certain amount of likes.”

Debra Maldonado  34:07

Yeah, I remember when I first started, I was sitting in the audience. It was just when I first started before you and I worked together. And I was sitting at this coaching event, and there were all these people on stage. And there were all the success people and they're all on stage and they were all talking about how successful they are and how much money they're making and how this coach was the best coach in the world. And they helped me, and I was thinking next year, I want to come back to this event, I want to be on that stage. So I bought the coaching package. And I did within that year. That's actually the year you started— we started working together. And the business just exploded. And I remember I was on the stage, I had the badges, VIP and, you know, speaker, and I was sitting there, and then we came back to the hotel room after my big stage appearance. And I put the badge down. And I looked at it and I said “This isn't even real." Like, this isn't even me. And I'm still me. And so it doesn't matter, all that stuff, that external success. If you don't know who you are, it's not going to matter. And that moment was— that first year is like, wow, I proved it to myself that I can do it. And maybe I needed a little ego to motivate me. But then we realized that this isn't what it's all about. It's about helping people. It's about not being the best and everything. And so it was a hard lesson for me to learn. And so when we talk about “it's about the other person why are you starting your business”, again, what's the purpose? Or who are you helping? Whether it's a product or a service. Even beautiful clothes. How are you contributing to the world?

Robert Maldonado  36:03

Yeah, and that is so much needed now, to inject some compassion and consciousness into entrepreneurship.

Debra Maldonado  36:18

How should we wrap this up? We went to— you went to find your spiritual purpose for your business?

Robert Maldonado  36:29

Yeah. And keep in mind, it's not a certain career, not a certain job, not a certain business. It is the expression of your deeper nature. And you find that through actually doing it, right, you set out on that journey. And you say, I want to help the world, I want to help others. I want to contribute to life somehow. And it's a beautiful journey I made, I wouldn't trade it for anything, despite the fears that I had to overcome or still face sometimes, despite the uncertainties that being an entrepreneur entails. It's worth it. Because you’ve— especially like we're saying, if it's a spiritual journey for you, then it becomes a way of finding yourself. And your work is tied into that. It's not separate. It's not like “Oh, I can't wait to be off work so I can do my yoga or my meditation.” The work itself is a way of expressing your spiritual nature.

Debra Maldonado  37:54

When I left the corporate world, I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. I never had my own business before. I didn't have that much in savings. I was thinking “Well, I've been wanting to do this for a long time, I keep putting it off. I'm just going to do it.” And I said to myself “I just want to see what I'm made of. Just want to see what I'm made of, how can I stretch this? How can I challenge myself?” And I think the best vision for your life is to know who you really are. And to use your goals as an entrepreneur. There's no other way to be— no better way I should say, there's other ways, but no better way to know who you really are, is by stepping out into that unknown as an entrepreneur and trying something new and doing something you're passionate about. It'll always give you back, even if you fail 100 times or 1000 times. It's going to give you so much more than you not doing it at all. I mean, you're at least in the game. And that's a really beautiful thing.

Robert Maldonado  38:57

Yes, it is the real hero's journey, the real hero's journey.

Debra Maldonado  39:04

All right. Well, thank you everyone for joining us. We will see you next week for our Soul Sessions. Check us out on YouTube— well, your YouTube, our podcast every week. Make sure you subscribe and also subscribe to our YouTube channel as well. We post videos here every week, keep you up to date, and we'll talk to you soon.

Robert Maldonado  39:28

Stay well. 

Debra Maldonado  39:30 

Take care, everyone.

Robert Maldonado  39:31 

See you soon.

Debra Maldonado  39:32

Bye bye. 

OUTRO  39:33 

Thank you for joining us and don't forget to subscribe to Creative Mind Soul Sessions. And join us next week as we explore another deep topic where you can consciously create your life with Creative Mind Soul Session. See you next time.